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Sarranid Sultanate
The Sarranid Sultanate is a new faction introduced in Mount&Blade: Warband, and is located in the southern deserts of Calradia. It is led by Sultan Hakim, while its rival claimant to the throne is Arwa the Pearled One. Sarranid lords are called emirs. Rulers Vassals Tactics Also see Sarranid Sultanate Tactics. Strengths *Good skirmishers. *Excellent archers. *Powerful heavy cavalry, rivalling the knights of Swadia. Weaknesses *Weak infantry. *Archers that are weak in melee. *Yields one of the poorest elite infantry troops in the game. The starting position for the player is difficult, as many bandits roam the deserts outside of villages and towns. When you can, leave the area and come back with a large force if you want to attempt to drive out the bandits. Most of their units are relatively weak, excluding some of the higher tier archers and cavalry. The Sarranid use units and tactics that seem to be a blend between Swadian and Vaegir unit types, giving them more versatility. The Sarranid cavalry, the Sarranid Mamluke, is on a par with Swadian Knights in terms of being the toughest horsemen in the game, while their infantry and archers are closer tactically to Vaegir military units, although they are generally more heavily armored and bear heavier shields than Vaegir troops. Their weakness lies in a lack of specialization arising from this blending. While their archers are relatively tough in melee, they are not as devastating in their main role as archers. Similarly their infantry have throwing weapons, but lack staying power in melee combat, and their horsemen are slightly less well armored than their Swadian counterparts (but still quite powerful), and carry more blunt weapons to capture prisoners. Used well the Sarranids are a formidable force, but it is hard to squeeze a significant amount of damage out of the archers during a siege because they quickly exhaust their ammunition. Sarranid Master Archers are a hedged bet; they are better in melee combat, and thus a good backup when things go awry, but less effective compared to other ranged troops when things go according to plan, and ultimately may not be capable of clinching victory against powerful enemy forces. Mamlukes rule the open desert, and their blunt weapons will help them pay their recruitment costs and salaries by capturing prisoners, but their expensive horses are of no use when besieging a town or castle. Their infantry might score a few kills with throwing weapons, but when you need them to hold the line, they simply may not be capable of holding their own against other factions' infantry in a direct clash. The Sarranid territory is mostly open desert, making battles very favorable for cavalry and archers. Unlike the Khergits, their cavalry are melee only and have no bows, making them less versatile; however, their mounted knights (Mamelukes) are some of the strongest in the game, rivaling the Swadian Knights. Their infantry are considered the weakest in the game when compared to the other factions and are not as heavily armed as those of other factions. However, they are reliable in large numbers and can be very useful if supported. Their archers use bows and jarids rather than crossbows and while they can out-shoot Nord Veteran Archers, they are outclassed by Vaegir Marksmen. They have a very fast rate of fire, allowing a small number of troops to lay down an impressive volley, but they are not always reliable because of the low amount of damage and poor accuracy, made worse when they spawn with jarids instead of bows. Troop Tree Land The territory of the Sarranid Sultanate contains the following towns, castles, and villages: Note that, over the course of the game, other kingdoms may besiege and take over these lands and the Sultanate may gain more or less land. However, these places are the only places from which you can recruit Sarranid Troops. The Sarranid Sultanate is the only faction in which no castle shares its name with that castle's village. You can buy dates (known in-game as "Date Fruits") cheaply, which when sold to the neighboring Khergit Khanate can fetch a price of up to 100 denars. Inspiration The Sarranid Sultanate is based mostly on the various Caliphates and Sultanates in North Africa and Arabia from roughly the years 1000-1600 A.D. The name itself appears to be a cross between "Saracen", a term used for Arab desert tribes in antiquity and later for Muslims in the Middle Ages, and "Sassanid", the name of the royal dynasty that ruled the last pre-Islamic incarnation of the Persian Empire. Many of the city names are based on real Arabian and Persian cities; Shariz resembles Shiraz, a Persian city that gained importance in the Islamic period and was the seat of power of many dynasties, and Durquba is seemingly based on "Cordoba", capital city of Islamic Spain and one of the largest and most important cities of the medieval world. Samarra Castle, a castle near Ahmerrad, shares the same name as a city which used to be the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, located in modern-day Iraq, and Aab is Persian for "water", among other examples. The "Mamluke" warriors, one of the strongest mounted warriors in the game, are based on a real warrior class composed of Turkic and Arab soldier-slaves called the Mamlukes or Ma'maleek, literally meaning "the owned ones". They were the finest example of Islamic martial strength for centuries, eventually conquering the sultanates of Egypt and Syria. Ancient Persian troops also appear to have influenced the Sarranids, particularly their archers who were famous for rapid firing rates (but relatively poor accuracy). The names carried by the "Emirs" (an Arab title for a ruler) of the Sarranid Sultanate are Arabic in flavor. The banners and flags which the Emirs carry seem to be influenced mainly by Arab and Berber designs, but historical Turkic and Persian banners are also used. Prominent motifs are the 8-pointed Hashemite star, crossed-scimitars and crescent moon. Category:Factions Category:Warband